The political power of literature

What role do artists and intellectuals play on the frontline of popular uprisings?

For years, writers around the Arab world were silenced by the repressive mechanisms of dictatorial rule. Now the chains of censorship appear to be breaking as the region finds itself on the verge of a new political era.

Is the pen mightier than the sword? Can literature inspire revolutions? And what role do writers and artists have in social revolutions?

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Joining us to discuss these electrifying moments are: Ahdaf Soueif, an internationally acclaimed Egyptian writer and cultural commentator; and Hisham Matar, an exiled Libyan writer, whose father, a political dissident, was kidnapped in 1990 never to be seen again.

Also on the show, world-renowned Chilean writer Ariel Dorfman who has been watching the historic scenes around the Middle East and remembering his country's own history as part of the revolution that swept through Latin America 40 years ago.

You can join the conversation. Watch this episode of Riz Khan live on Wednesday, February 23, at 1930GMT. Repeats can be seen on Thursday at 0430GMT, 0830GMT and 1430GMT.